In the 20th century, the Rehoboth Beach Patrol under Capt. Walsh achieved advanced USLA certification and eligibility to be part of the Delaware United Open Water Lifesaving Program which cooperated with the Aviation Division of the Delaware State Police, the marine police, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, et al. This program both provided and required of its participants emergency medical training conducted by the Delaware State Police Aviation Division.
In short, USSG C.E. Koop was set to recognize the RBP, and in 2005, USSG Richard Henry Carmona flew to Dewey from Andrews Air Force Base and proclaimed that the program was the best thing he'd seen in his four-and-a-half years in office. Surgeon General Carmona himself was an open-water lifeguard in New York, a medic in Vietnam, a police chief in the U.S., and one of the nation’s top doctors. Clearly he knew and recognized superior training, and saw it in Mid-Atlantic lifeguards. The RBP was often runner-up in USLA competitions. This summer, with training from Derek Shockro, a veteran of the Coveleski/Walsh era, the Sussex County Lifesaving Association dominated the national competition.
Congratulations to the RBP for its part in this endeavor.
-
A letter to the editor expresses a reader's opinion and, as such, is not reflective of the editorial opinions of this newspaper.
To submit a letter to the editor for publishing, send an email to viewpoints@capegazette.com. All letters are considered at the discretion of the newsroom and published as space allows. Due to the large volume of submissions, we cannot acknowledge receipt of each submission. Letters must include a phone number and address for verification. Keep letters to 400 words or fewer. We reserve the right to edit for content or length. Letters should be responsive to issues addressed in the Cape Gazette rather than content from other publications or media. Letters should focus on local issues, not national topics or personalities. Only one letter per author will be published every 30 days regarding a particular topic. Authors may submit a second letter within that time period if it pertains to a different issue. Letters may not be critical of personalities or specific businesses. Criticism of public figures is permissible. Endorsement letters for political candidates are no longer accepted. Letters must be the author’s original work, and may not be generated by artificial intelligence tools. Templates, form letters and letters containing language similar to other submissions will not be published.
